Adjustable single-lever pipe and nut wrench with ratchetlike control



A. J. THURLYEY I ADJUSTABLE SINGLE LEVER PIPE AND NUT WRENCH WITH RATCHET LIKE CONTROL Filed March 1924 ed to engage with a pin on-the lever handle,

the said rack and pin being pressed into en- Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

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' ARTHUR amass 'lI-IUBLEY, or ennon, ENGLAND.

ADJUSTABLE SINGLE-LEVER IEIPE AND NUT 'WB-ENCH WITH RATCHETLIKE GQN'IRQL.

, Application filed March 13, 1924, Scria1.N0. 698,992, and in Great Britain ltpril 26, 18533,

This invention relates to nut and pipe wrenches of the type wherein the. opposing toothed or serrated jaws of the wrench are formed upon two lever members pivoted to gether. In such tools as hitherto made both levers are generallyextended to form the handle, and it is necessary tor the user to grrip the'ha-ndles in order to maintain the jaws of the wrench in gripping position.

It isthe object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of wrench wherein the user may release his grip on the handle without necessarily removing: the wrench from the nut or pipe which is being gripped, and whereby a. series of grips may be taken in'a ratchet like manner.

The improved wrench con'iprises the combination of a lever carrying one jaw and forming a lever handlea second lever carrying the other jaw and pivotally and pret .erably adjustably mounted on the lever handle, a spring lever pressing the two levers together in the gripping direction. so that the lever handle may be released without necessarily removing the wrench. and by.

moving back the handle the springl\'$l'.Wlll permit the jaws to springback in. the mannor of a ratchet brace to a new gripping position.

The second lever which may carry the outer or hooked member of the jaw may be adjusted upon the lever handle by means of a rack consisting ot a series of notches adaptgagement by the spring lever which engages the back of the said second lever.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a face view. and

Fig. 2 a side view showing one form of the improved wrench.

Fig. 3 shows a modified method of fitting the jaw to the lever handle of the wrench.

In the construction illustrated a is a lever handle having one member Z) of the jaw fitted at its outer end, 0 is the second lever hooked at its outer end and carrying the other or outer jaw (l, this second lever is adapted to slide in a slot 6 in the lever handle a and is provided'on its outer edge with a rack 7 consisting of notches adapted to engage with a pivotal pin g riveted in the lever handle so as to extend across the slot 0. h is aspring lever pivoted in the slot of the lever handle a and provided with a long arm h and a short arm if, the long arm h being adapted to lie along and 'pressupon' the back edge of the second lever c whilst theshorter arm 7.? is pressed outward bya spring '2'. and is also shaped to form a finger pip whereby the pressure of the long arm it on the second lever 0 may be released to permit the said lever o to :slidein the slot 0 and therackf to be adjusted to vary the dimensions ot the wrench jaw as required.

A small stud j may be fitted to prevent the second jaw from being drawn too far out of the slot 6'.

The levers are shown as fitted with removable steel jaws Z) and (Z fastened in position by studs and pins, and Fig. 3 shows a modified construction adapted to release the stress upon the securing studs and pins and wherein the removable jaw 19 is formed with a ledge 7) at its inner. and lower edge titted into a corresponding recess in the end of the lever handle a. j

v.ln use, the aws of the wrench are adjusted by means of the rack f and pin 9 for wrench from the nut or pipe for the reason that the pressure of the spring lever h will impart suflicient ;r1pp1ng,- pressure to main" tam the wrench in posltion, andfurther, by

swinging back the handle lever (in the jaws will open against thepressure of the spring lever and automatically take a new gripping, position so that the operator may proceed to take a series of grips by merely moving the lever handle backwards and forwards.

lVhat I claim as my nvention and deslre to secure. by Letters Patent is 1. A wrench comprising a slottedhandle',

a' pin projecting'across the slot, an inner aw carried by the slotted handle an outer cooperating aw, a shank carrying said outer. aw and having notches theremadapted to selectively engage. with the pin in said slotted handle. and a double iarmed lever carried pivotally by said handle, but extending for its major portion wholly aside from the slot and plane of the handle, said lever having an elongated arm extending in contact with one edge of said shank through v shank the handle and out an extensive area thereof, said lever having a short arm situated Close to the handle and substantially parallel therewith to admit of being depressed by the hand in the act of holding the handle, and 'yi'eldahle means for urging said short arinyirway from the long arm against said shank. e

2. Wren-ch comprising a slotted handle having" a pin extending thereaeross, an inher jaw carried by said handle, a slotted extending slidably and laterally through said slotted handle and adapted to engage selectively with said pi11,.an outerjaw carried by said shank, a double arnied lever eoinposed of a long andshort arm curved reversely; said long arin having a flat edge adjacent the shank and adapted to lie in contact throughout said flirt edge with sand shank, said long arm extending rout- ]Wardly beyond the pin the short dlflD GX-L tending substantially parallel with said handle and arranged close thereto, a coil spring earried by 'said handlei and engaging V the inner side oi -said short-arm tof urge, the

same outmnrdl'y, said double armed lever 

